Moideen Bava Getting Jittery due to my contest: Muneer Katipalla
Muneer Katipalla State president of DYFI is contesting the Mangalore North constituency as CPI(M) candidate. Mangalore north is considered as one of the communally sensitive constituency and it has garnered unusual attention due to the contest of Muneer Katipalla. Apart from CPM workers several supporters and sympathizers of Muneer are campaigning for him briskly. Muneer shot to fame due to his involvement with several struggles and agitations. Vartha bharathi spoke to him on his busy campaign trail.
VB: How is it going?
MK: Moving briskly. I am out by 7 am and return by 11 pm. till noon it is door to door visit and consultations with party workers. In the afternoon, I participate in Public rallies. In between I make a call to voters whom I know. By the way, we had covered the entire constituency even before the announcement of the elections. Now we are in to second round. We have already covered around 60% voters and we are confident that in the next one week we will reach the rest.
VB: How is the response of the voters?
MK: Much more than pour expectations. Wherever I go people are saying that I should be their representative; not only that they are contributing voluntarily to my election expenses. Most of them are unknown to Me.!!
VB: What do you think are the positive things?
MK: My struggle against MRPL has given me a kick start. Moreover the way I questioned the functioning of the present MLA, has caught the imagination of the people
VB: Who will find it easy due to your presence?
MK: Till now it was always a straight fight between Congress and BJP. Now it is triangular! Moideen Bava, the Congress candidate is getting jittery. On the other hand BJP candidate too is forced to pace its campaign. Both Congress and BJP were complacent till now, as they were sure of certain vote share due to communal polarization. Congress was sure that minorities will vote for it and BJP was sure of Hindutva votes. My contest has turned this calculation on its head. Instead of communal polarization, it is now a contest between 90% poor and 10% rich. So both these parties are spending huge money. And sweating it out day and night
VB: But there is a brisk campaign against you too:
MK: Yes, plenty. They are trying to confuse the voters by spreading canard like, Muneer has retired from the fray, voting for Muneer will make it easy for the victory of BJP . But I am not worried about that. Struggles and agitations have taught me a lot of lessons. I am just using it in my campaign.
VB: Is it likely that NOTA will be used here ...
MK: Initially there were some whispers about that possibility. ‘We want neither congress nor BJP’ was the refrain of the voters. They were talking of using NOTA. But Voters are no more talking about that. ‘You are the best alternative we found and we won’t use NOTA,’ voters are saying upfront. This has doubled my confidence and enthusiasm.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two FIRs lodged against Mithun Chakraborty for 'provocative' speech
Kolkata, Nov 6: Two FIRs have been lodged against actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty for allegedly making provocative statements during a BJP event in Salt Lake area near Kolkata last month, police said on Wednesday.
The complaints pertain to Chakraborty's speech on October 27 at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake, during a BJP programme attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Kolkata to launch the party's West Bengal membership drive.
The first FIR was filed at the Bidhannagar South police station based on a complaint by an individual, while the second was lodged at Bowbazar police station.
"We have started an investigation into the case," a senior officer of Bidhannagar police said.
Shah was also present at the programme, which was organised to kick off the West Bengal leg of the BJP's membership drive. Shah had also felicitated Chakraborty for being honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year.
Although Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar described the FIRs a result of "vendetta politics.".
Majumdar alleged that the TMC government "has once again used the police to unfairly target well-known actor and senior BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty".
He accused the chief minister of employing such tactics "to serve political interests" and claimed that the state government's actions were part of an ongoing attempt to discredit political opponents.
"There is nothing provocative in his speech. These are nothing but attempts to intimidate him by using police as a political tool," he said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh dubbed the BJP's allegations as baseless.
"The allegations of political vendetta are baseless. He shouldn't have made such provocative remarks. The law will take its own course," he said.
Chakraborty, who received India's highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, earlier this year, had asserted on October 27 that the 'masnad' (throne) of West Bengal would belong to the BJP after the 2026 assembly elections, promising to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal.
While speaking at the programme, Chakraborty, a BJP leader, said, "In 2026, the 'masnad' will be ours, and we will do everything to achieve the goal."
In an apparent reference to TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's communal remarks aimed at BJP workers during the Lok Sabha elections, Chakraborty had allegedly made provocative remarks.
Chakraborty cautioned that no one should attempt to intimidate saffron party voters into abstaining from voting in the next assembly elections.
He called upon the booth-level workers of his party to resist any such attempts.
